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Tuesday, September 8, 2009

What are MRE's

If you are new to the Emergency Preparedness world you have likely heard the term "MRE" throw around but may not know what they are and how they can or if they can benefit your family.MRE stands for "Moms Really Exhausted", or at least that is the first thing that came to my mind- HA!, but actually it stands for Meals, Ready to Eat. Originally designed for the military by the U.S. Government MRE's have gained an audience with civilian backpackers, hunters, campers, and home emergency reserves.

What makes us like MRE's-They require no cooking and can be eaten strait from the package-Each pouch is one meal between 1000-1200 calories-Easily trasported and stored- Shelf Life is 4-6 years-More expensive than freeze dried foods.

Disadvantages to the MRE-Some don't like their taste-Not a vary vast selection of meal options-Cost

Another interesting thing about MRE's is that there has been for years a sort of black market for the military grade meals. Silly because not only it is illegal to buy and sell these you can purchase civillian MRE's from retialers like this or this

As of right now I do not actually have any MRE's in our emergency supply. The place I see them as of most use however would be in an emergency car kit or 72 hour kit, for when you may be stranded without water and any option for cooking. Having one or two of these for each member of you family seems like it would be a wise preperation. Be advised however that they are vulnerable to temperature extremes (as is most food storage) in reducing their shelf life.